Part One: Strength/Power Training
It’s almost that time of year – the offseason. The time when we hang our clubs up, maybe move into the simulators, and start the countdown to next year’s golf season. The Fall season is always a great time to reflect on how this year’s golf season went as well as begin planning for the next. For example, maybe this year you accomplished all of your golf goals: you’re hitting the ball a little farther, your handicap is starting to creep down into new territory. You might have even brought home a new trophy or two.
Or maybe as this golf season went on you noticed that you either stagnated or started moving in the wrong direction. Maybe you’re not quite hitting the ball as far as you did in April. You might have noticed some new aches and pains. Or maybe even that golfer’s elbow you thought you had kicked is slowly starting to show up again.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. During the golf season, physical training can sometimes take a back seat. When the days are long, you’re trying to get out to play as often as possible, travel to tournaments, or even go on golf trips with your buddies. This means there’s less time to get in that you need to be doing to take care of your body. However, as the winter approaches, the focus starts shifting away from playing golf and more towards getting ready to play golf next year. This is where offseason training really shines!
What is Offseason Training?
In this three-part article series, we’re going to dive deep into all things offseason:
- Part One: How to structure strength and power training to set the foundation for higher swing speeds next season.
- Part Two: How mobility work during the offseason can help you move more efficiently and support a better swing.
- Part Three: How to use transfer training to reinforce better movement patterns so you can swing faster, pain-free, and with more fairways hit.
Simply put, offseason training is anything that takes place between the end of one year’s golf season and the preseason for the following year. The goal of offseason training is to take advantage of the changing seasons and less golf to turn attention toward physical training. In doing this, you can make sure that last season’s aches and pains are gone, and you’re able to lay the groundwork for increasing distance and scoring lower next season!
At P4S Golf, our data consistently shows that golfers who follow a focused offseason strength program see an average increase of 5% in vertical jump height, seated chest pass distance, and key lifts such as the squat, bench, and deadlift. These improvements directly translate to more clubhead speed. In fact:
- Every 6 inches added to chest pass distance ≈ 1 mph of clubhead speed
- Every 1.25 inches added to vertical jump height ≈ 1 mph of clubhead speed
That’s roughly 3 yards per mph, which means gaining 6+ yards in the offseason is not only possible, it’s the norm!
If you want to know your baseline power and mobility before starting, you can begin with a Golf Performance Assessment.
How to Structure an Offseason Training Program
A quality golf offseason training plan should prioritize rebuilding strength. Typically, this means performing 8–12 repetitions per set, choosing weights that leave you with just 2–3 reps “in reserve” at the end of each set.
Example:
If you’re doing sets of 10 and feel like you could complete 15 reps, the weight is too light—time to increase it.
Below is a proven three-day structure that targets the three biggest contributors to clubhead speed:
- Lower body strength
- Upper body pressing strength
- Core strength
Why These Areas Matter
- Lower Body:
Exercises like goblet squats and vertical jumps challenge your legs and hips, which are crucial for producing ground reaction force. Our research shows a strong relationship between vertical jump force and clubhead speed. - Hinge Strength (Glutes & Hamstrings):
Movements such as kettlebell deadlifts and glute bridges help you stay in posture and rotate more effectively. - Upper Body Pressing Strength:
Push-ups and other pressing exercises help you apply more force to the club during the downswing. Rowing movements support shoulder stability but don’t contribute as directly to distance gains. - Mobility-Supportive Warm-Ups:
Warm-ups like Brush the Ground, hip hinges, and Shoulder CARS promote mobility essential for a powerful, efficient swing.
Fun fact: golfers who can touch their toes are 2.4x more likely to swing at 100+ mph.
If you aren’t quite there yet, these are great exercises to help you improve!
| Exercise Category | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 |
| Warm Up 1 | Brush the Ground 1 x 10 | Band Pull Apart 1 x 10 | Brush the Ground 1 x 10 |
| Warm Up 2 | Goblet Squat Repattern Drill 1 x 5 | Shoulder CARS 1 x 5 | Hip Hinge with Dowel 1 x 10 |
| Primary 1 | Goblet Squats 3 x 10 | Push Ups 3 x 10 | KB Deadlift 3 x 10 |
| Primary 2 | Vertical Jump 3 x 5 | Bent Over Row 3 x 10 | Mini Band Hip Thrusts 3 x 10 |
| Core Strength | RKC Plank 3 x :30 | Paloff Press 3 x 10 | RKC Plank 3 x :30 |
SUMMARY
If you want to make sure that next year’s scores are even better, offseason training is the key to unlocking your potential. You will also put yourself in the best position to maintain through next year when golf picks up again (as long as you’re keeping up with your in-season training). By taking care of your body this winter, you will not only start next season strong and pain free, you can also pick up several yards of distance!
If you’d like personalized help building your offseason plan, you can book a session with our team.
Stay tuned for Part Two of our golf offseason training series, where we dive into offseason mobility strategies to help you create bigger, more powerful turns in your swing!
